Oni Press has always supported Free Comic Book day and this year they have a title for the older and younger comic book fans. Free Comic Book day is in it’s tenth year and will be on May 5, 2012.

For the older crowd, Oni Press is giving away #1 issue of Bad Medicine. Written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir (New X-Men: Academy X, Batman Confidential) and artist Christopher Mitten. The comic book is about a doctor working to try and explain the unexplainable.

“This is not a zero issue, it’s not a preview or an advanced look, this is the actual issue #1 of Bad Medicine. This follows the model that we used to launch The Sixth Gun two years ago and Spontaneous last year,” Oni marketing director Cory Casoni explained. “At Oni Press, we believe that Free Comic Book Day is about Free Comics! By launching a brand new series on FCBD, we’re creating a no-risk situation for new readers to try out a new monthly comic book, and the best part is, they only have to wait a few weeks to read the next installment! For those who miss Bad Medicine #1 on Free Comic Book Day but hear from their friends how awesome the series is, they get a second chance to start from the beginning when we issue a re-release of Bad Medicine #1 on the same day Bad Medicine #2 is released in June!”

Yo Gabba Gabba! is also going to be released for all ages. It’s a 32 page comic book that samples stories from the anthology. The anthology will be offered from Oni Press at a discount.

When DC released the new 52, I sadly missed out on all of them. This is because my comic book store couldn’t get their stuff together to get my pull list filed. Email after email I watched as I missed out on all the issues. I read about the roar of the new 52 and decided that maybe it was for the better that I missed out. I would have been too upset to give DC another dollar after reading about how some of my favorite characters turned out. But in that, I almost missed out on one of the best stories I have read.

This weekend I picked up Batgirl Issues 1-4 from the New 52. The art is amazing and the writing even better. This is what excites me about comic books. The story focuses on Barbara Gordon as she gets back into the Batgirl gear after just gaining control of her legs again.

She is vulnerable, yet strong. She’s inspiring and passionate. It’s interesting. One thing most people point out about Marvel characters is how close to humans they feel. They are vulnerable and definitely are not perfect. It feels like Barbara Gordan as Batgirl has this. During the first few issues we see her human side. We see her emotional as she cannot save an accident from happening. There is a great exchange between her and Nightwing that made me grin. Again more humanizing, more emotion.

One of the larger issues with the New 52 has been how women are being portrayed. Female comic books fans have felt insulted and ignored by DC. But that issue never comes near Batgirl. As Barbara Gordon she wears normal clothes that cover her nicely. She goes on a date and looks great (not slutty). When she interacts with Nightwing, she is strong and flirtatious again not slutty. Batgirl appeals to readers by being smart and strong.

The Batgirl series is one of the best comic book series I have read in a long time. I shouldn’t be surprised since Gail Simone is at the helm but I am. This series has re-invigorated my love for comics and I can’t wait to read more Batgirl.

The series will be digital in format (available at Digital.Darkhorse.com every other week starting February 15, 2012)  and broken into three original stories that will fill in the gap between PROTOTYPE and PROTOTYPE 2.  The first story, “The Anchor,” will continue PROTOTYPE protagonist Alex Mercer’s story. Tthe second story, “The Survivors,” will follow a group of New Yorkers trying to escape the city (now transformed into NYZ due to the outbreak of the Blacklight virus).  The third story, “The Labyrinth”, will provide fans with a deeper look into PROTOTYPE 2’s new protagonist, Sgt. James Heller.

“We’re always looking for meaningful ways to expand the PROTOTYPE universe, and Dark Horse Comics is an industry-leading creative powerhouse delivering best-in-class graphic storytelling that integrates deeply to the core of our IP,” said Ken Rosman, Studio Head, Radical Entertainment.  “With this partnership, our fans will finally be given answers to some dramatic loose ends from the first PROTOTYPE game, as well as the truth behind Alex Mercer’s descent and evolution into a twisted shadow of his former self for PROTOTYPE 2.”

PROTOTYPE 2 continues the experience from PROTOTYPE of becoming the ultimate shape-shifting weapon. As Sgt. James Heller, players will make their way through a post-viral New York Zero with the ultimate goal of killing Alex Mercer.

“Sgt. James Heller’s heart wrenching backstory meshed with the sheer amount of over-the-top shape-shifting action in PROTOTYPE 2 lend themselves perfectly to a comic book series,” said Dave Marshall, Editor, Dark Horse Comics.  “We worked extremely close with Radical Entertainment’s story team for PROTOTYPE 2, and can’t wait to visually walk fans through the many dark secrets strewn throughout the tattered world of New York Zero!”

If you want to keep up on PROTOTYPE 2, you can follow them on twitter at www.twitter.com/radical_ent or the official website at www.prototypegame.com for the latest trailers, screenshots, special promotions and other fun stuff. For the super fan, you can go to www.facebook.com/prototype and join the PROTOTYPE Army to receive updates from Radical, as well as early sneak peeks at new information and assets.

Maybe adding color would be better? Or maybe the logo is just boring and dull. For a company that has so many amazing things going for it, this newest logo does not seem to represent that. It is a D peeling back to reveal a C. Somewhat. This new logo has been registered for trademark for all sorts of products: comics, food, household items, etc.

This is not the first time DC has changed it’s logo:

Personally, the current logo represents a comic based company brilliantly: dynamic blue and white colors; amazing, swooping star. It just screams action and excitement. This newest logo. Well. It just seems out of place.

Of course this could merely be a provisional trademarking, but from the looks of everything it covers (which can be found on The Beat), DC may very well be ready to use this logo.

Now, the man credited with having a huge hand in the creation of such a popular villain and also creating Batman’s sidekick, Robin, has passed away.

Jerry Robinson, 89, died in his sleep on December 7 at a hospice in New York City. A native of Trenton, NJ, Robinson was hired at the age of seventeen by Batman creator Bob Kane. Robinson made key contributions to the character, but it has been thoroughly debated as to who came up with the character. Kane, who died in 1998, that he and Bill Finger came up with the Joker. However, comic historians credit Robinson with the creation and Finger with fine tuning the idea.

Robinson’s career spanned several decades. He was a teacher at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and has also written books about comic history.

“I did 32 years of political cartoons, one every day for six days a week, I wrote and drew every word, every line.  … That body of work is the one I’m proudest of. Looking at the Batman pages is like revisiting my youth. My first seven years in New York were the first seven years of Batman itself. While my time on Batman was important and exciting and notable considering the characters that came out of it, it was really just the start of my life.” – Jerry Robinson 2009 LA Times interview

Robinson was survived by his wife, two children, and two grandchildren. It is certainly a sad time in the comic fandom to lose such a legend. His legacy will live on.

The Toy Story content continues with a brand new comic series released by Marvel and Disney. Buzz, Woody and all the Toy Story characters are back for a brand new story arc.

“Everyone loves Toy Story, so we’re excited to team with our friends at Disney-Pixar to bring readers all new stories of our favorite characters from these blockbuster films,” said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “TOY STORY allows us to bring great new material to the market that’s not only perfect for kids, but also a great read for fans of all ages. What’s next for Woody and Buzz in these stories? We can’t wait for you to find out!”

In March, Buzz, Woody and the team will have to deal with a new puppy! The puppy is going through a chewing stage, so how will the toys react? Look in March for this four issue story arc.

Over the years, Cartoon Network has some amazing and successful Cartoon blocks aimed at different age demographics such as Toonami and Adult Swim. In 2012, Cartoon Network sets it sights on comic book fans with a block full of DC related animated series and shorts.

DC Nation will be the exclusive home for original DC animation properties. It will be an on-air and online programming block that will not only show DC shows, but also behind the scenes exclusives.

“DC Nation on Cartoon Network will be the first-ever dedicated broadcast destination to showcase the depth and breadth of the DC Universe,” said Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment. It will be a way to stay up-to-date with all DC news as well as a great place to catch awesome shows such as Young Justice and Green Lantern.

The teaser trailer shows a wide variety of DC properties including glances at future shows such as ‘Beware The Batman’, a CG Batman show slated for a 2013 release. Although Cartoon Network already has tons of DC shows, this is still exciting news for DC fans.

With so much DC and Marvel talk, most people that are not avid comic fans seem to forget about a little gem called Image Comics. Image is a wonderful publisher as it allows creators to publish their own work and material without giving up copyrights to their characters. Some very popular works that are published by Image include The Walking Dead, Spawn, Invincible, and Morning Glories.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publisher, a 3-day convention is being held on February 24-26 at the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland, California.

Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino, all Image partners, will be the guests of honor, with other special guests include the founders of Image, Rob Liefeld, and Whilce Portacio. Creators of some of the comics will also be in attendance.

“IMAGE EXPO isn’t just about Image Comics, it’s a celebration of independent creativity in comics.  The exhibit floor is open to anyone who makes creator-owned comics.  We’re also going to be hosting unique programming for fans, aspiring creators, and library professionals.  We’ll be continuing our tradition of supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s important work to protect creators and retailers by hosting special events including a massive benefit auction.” – Image Comics

Perhaps this will lead the way to other comic publishers to have their own events as well.

And the war of the Digital Comics wages on.

Announced today by Marvel, Barnes and Noble’s newest NOOK device will launch with a selection of Marvel Comics including Civil War, Invincible Iron Man, and Marvels. The latest NOOK Tablet is a touchscreen device with a 7 inch screen, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage. Retailing at $249, the device along with the Marvel Comics seems to be a retaliation at Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which is also on sale next week, retails at $199, and has the exclusives to DC Comics.

“We’re excited to bring NOOK customers the largest available digital collection of graphic novels from Marvel Entertainment. The high resolution of our VividView color touchscreen makes the action virtually jump off the page, and takes graphic novels to a whole new level of entertainment.” said Theresa Horner, Barnes & Noble’s Vice President of Digital Content

The NOOK Tablet is also slated to have the largest selection of digital titles available because, if you did not know, Marvel titles are also available digitally through comiXology apps.

Can’t we all just get along? All the exclusive deals for digital comics makes the tired and true print comics much more desirable and pleasing. Owning several devices for each comic company just because of these exclusive deals is ludicrous. However, I guess it all depends on which side of the Marvel vs. DC debate you place yourself on.

Last week we showcased the image above wondering what Dark Horse and Caitlin R. Kiernan were up to. The beautiful artwork is the cover of the upcoming Alabaster. Alabaster is based on Caitlin’s Dancy Flammarion stories. In the series Dancy has only known a life of killing monsters. Alabaster is not just a re-telling of the story but actually a re-imagining of it.

Alabaster will first show up in Dark Horse Presents #9 (on sale February 22, 2012). After that, it will be a five issue mini-series, Alabaster: Wolves. Alabaster has artwork by Eisner Award–nominated artist Steve Lieber and cover art by Greg Ruth. We’re looking forward to seeing the upcoming Dark Horse Presents sneak peek!